忙

• Pinyin: máng
• Hanzi breakdown: 忙 = 忄(heart) + 亡 (perish, phonetic component)

Meaning

Busy; occupied. Describes having many things to do or little free time.

An extremely common adjective used in greetings and daily conversation. The question 你忙吗？is one of the most frequent small-talk openers in Chinese. Also used in the compound 帮忙 (to help).

Examples

1. 你最近忙吗？ Have you been busy lately?
2. 今天我很忙。 I'm very busy today.
3. 他忙着做作业。 He's busy doing homework.

Usage Guide

Context: work, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 最近工作很忙。(Work has been really busy lately.)
• 你忙什么呢？(What are you busy with?)

Don't Say

• 我很忙碌着。(Awkward — don't combine 忙碌 with 着; say 我很忙碌 or 我忙着呢)

Origin & History

The character combines 忄(heart) and 亡 (to perish/lose), suggesting a heart that is overwhelmed — the feeling of being too busy.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal